Discarded Swords
by Zennelia
Summary: In the end, the world cannot stay out of disputes and the consequences fall to the fallen soldiers - who, once again, are forced to wield their discarded swords. But the sudden appearance of a figure from the past stirs the conflict even more, and there is a much deeper and darker conspiration rooting in the depth of the ESUN government. *Ch. revised for clearer plot development.
1. 0: Prologue: Flailing

**A Gundam Wing/AC Fanfiction –** **_Discarded Swords_**

Character(s): Heero Yuy/Odin Lowe

Pairing(s): Heero YuyxLucrezia Noin

Genre(s): Adventure/Drama

A/N: Warning, possible AU and AR. And please note that **English is not my native language** , so please pardon me for any possible grammar and vocabulary mistakes.

* * *

 ** _Prologue_**

 _March 7, AC 203_

 _L1 Colony_

"Fancy for a drink?"

A young man, in his mid-twenties, slightly moved his head as he peered at his intruder. A sharp, deep, and glimmering of intense Prussian blue eyes narrowed suspiciously; the glare didn't lose its intensity despite the unruly dark brown bangs obscuring it.

"Whoa," the other man who was possibly older _—_ from his face lines and subtle wrinkles around his bright hazel eyes _—_ held up his hand in the air as he laughed. "What they say is true, eh? Your mere appearance speaks for yourself. I see why you've got all the spots."

"Identification." The younger man whose name was of Heero Yuy spoke coldly. The voice was no louder than a mere whisper; deep, calm, yet intimidating. The older man actually felt the hair on his neck stood to no end when he was graced with that daunting voice.

"Smoky," the man said casually, taking a seat in front of Heero without waiting an invitation he knew would never come. "You have swept over this area to make sure _—_?"

"I do my job excellently." Heero cut Smoky off sharply. "I said, _identification_."

"Didn't I say I was _—_ "

"Don't you understand what I told you? _Identification_. Define the word."

Smoky sighed as he rubbed his blond locks. "Okay, okay, sorry, that was my mistake." He pulled out his wallet and a card from it, tossing it across the table. Heero glanced uninterestedly at the white object, and slowly darted his penetrating eyes to Smoky.

"God of Death." Heero said nonchalantly. "And what news you could be bringing to me tonight?"

"The clown has escaped," Smoky informed. "The Dragon Sword and the Heart are en route to the rendezvous point. They are waiting for your next command."

"We played our card just right." Heero reached for the tablet on the table and typed something. "Which point?"

Smoky hesitated. "The LX-1744458."

A twitch made its way to Heero's temple. _"That little bugger."_

"Yeah, the God of Death." Smoky quickly said. "It was him _—_ I was just following his order."

"You should have made your own better judgment," Heero said quietly; his facial expression and tone were unreadable. "I _despise_ high risks."

"But you always do risky things," Smoky countered, scratched the back of his head, sighing. "But I reckon he didn't have any other choice _—_ like all of us."

Heero narrowed his eyes. "Since when were we given _any_ choices?"

Smoky couldn't answer.

"That's why we always make decisions on our own," Heero said dryly. He returned his attention back to his tablet. "What's been done cannot be undone. Precise time?"

"In 7 days, 4 sharp." Smoky answered. "They've got another message for you."

The other man didn't respond.

"They said not to do anything _flashy_ ," Smoky stifled a grin, steeling himself for a posture. "They said they will kill you for sure if you go with something flashy."

Heero scoffed. "Tell them to say that to their own selves."

Smoky shrugged. "Anyway, they don't dare to bring the Fallen Stars, so it all relies on yours."

Heero nodded curtly. "I understand that. Just make sure their route is safe."

"Right." Smoky rose from his seat and put back on his hat. "See you around."

Heero Yuy didn't even spare the older man a slight movement for acknowledgement, already occupying himself back to his tablet. Smoky shook his head at this and left the almost empty parlour in dismay.

 _March 14, AC 203_

 _L4 Spaceport, 2325 hours_

Duo Maxwell tapped his black, heavy military boot impatiently. He glanced for the nth time on his weather-defeated wristwatch, and grumbled in annoyance, yet again. He took a long draw on his cigarette, puffing white smokes to the air.

He was in the shuttle port, along with Chang Wufei and Trowa Barton. They were supposed to depart an hour ago, but Quatre Winner had yet shown his existence since. They were to rendezvous with Heero in less than an hour at an incomplete, deserted colony construction, nearby the L1 cluster area. Their schedule was damn tight, but Q-ball had now decided at the most eminent time to wreck their perfectly planned plan _—_ courtesy of Heero's brilliant mind, of course.

But knowing Quatre, worry started to develop within Duo.

"This is ridiculous," Duo grumbled. "Something must have happened to Quatre. We've waited long enough, 'Fei. I'm contacting Heero."

Wufei snorted and scowled indignantly. "We should have done that a _long time ago_ , Maxwell. I'm going to track Winner's bloody location."

 _Fuck it._ Wufei was probably being _a bitch_ because Duo had brushed off his concern for the minimum contact with their comrades.

"No shit, Wufei. Not now," Duo barked warningly, feeling his temper rising to a dangerous level. Wufei could be so _damn_ annoying when he wanted to, and now was surely not one of those times Duo could be so tolerant _—_ even though Duo knew the part of it was his mistake.

"I'll ping it," Trowa interjected plainly. "You both, just call Noin and Lady Une."

Duo pulled out his mobile from his jacket pocket and dialled. "I'm trying Heero first."

Trowa nodded and produced a laptop from his duffel bag and set himself calmly against the circular couch. There were only another few passengers, most probably waiting for the last flight of that day. Wufei followed Duo's example, and walked away for privacy.

But before Wufei could patch a call, his mobile already vibrated and he smashed the screen forcefully with his thumb upon seeing the name flashing on it. Face burning red angrily, he hissed furiously into the microphone, "Where the hell have you been?! We're lacking one bloody hour behind! You better have a very good explanation, Winner! _Speak!_ "

Duo frowned; looking up as he gave away a vicious scowl, signalling that he was unable to reach Heero. He shifted his attention fully to Wufei, noticing the drastic change of expression on Wufei's visage. Wufei listened for a while longer, before muttering a stiff 'I understand' and ended the call.

"Wufei?" Trowa called calmly. "Was it Quatre?"

Wufei's feature was terrifyingly distraught. "Yes. The whole plan was cancelled. They got Yuy."

Duo jerked around sharply. "What do you mean?"

"Noin and Merquise found Yuy at the engineering construction site with serious injuries. Winner said that he got information that Yuy's situation is perilous. Winner was forced to go low profile by an encrypted call from Noin as soon as they found Yuy."

"But surely they found evidence of Heero fighting back, right?" Duo slumped to the couch beside Trowa who remained calm.

"Yes. This is bad news. Anyone who managed to overpower him in a fight must be someone very dangerous. Unless they are more than one party. This isn't good." Wufei said rigidly, looking at his two companions.

"Of course they were more than one party!" Duo scowled darkly. "We all know Heero! Fuck, this is so fucked up! God... didn't Quatre offer more than that? He just said that?"

"He is en route to the L1 with some of Preventers' Theta Special Ops. He said he will send us the details once he's in safe territory. We can go to the L1 in an hour after they make sure our route is safe too."

"Heero's in the Preventer hospital, right?" Trowa asked, checking at the computer once again before closing its lid. "What kind of perilous?"

"Six of eight," said Wufei grimly. "Not out of the woods. That's all Quatre volunteered."

"Jesus Christ..." Duo groaned, burying his face into his hands. "So we wait? We can't get updates on Heero? Shit... he's not gonna die, isn't he? After all he did..."

"No," said Trowa confidently. "He won't die yet. Heero always pulls through."

"For a man who did self-destruct in a goddamn Gundam, so I bet he's very good," said Wufei bitterly. "So yes, Maxwell, we wait. I'm not going to put my bet on Yuy. As Barton said, he will pull through. Let's patch up the holes on our own right now. We know the strings; we do what we can to finish all this up. Yuy's sacrifice will not be in vain. We can make sure of that."

"Hell yeah, Heero's bent down on that," Duo murmured tiredly, slouching forward in exhaustion. "Yeah, 'Fei, let's make ourselves subservient this time, eh?"

Wufei ignored the braided man, already indulging in his own tablet. Duo blinked and grumbled, snatching the computer from Trowa's lap and began his search. "Fuck you, Wufei."

 _"Fuck you too, Maxwell."_

Trowa only smirked.


	2. 1: Mortal

**A Gundam Wing/AC Fanfiction –** ** _Discarded Swords_**

Disclaimer: Usual disclaimer applies.

Character(s): Heero Yuy/Odin Lowe

Pairing(s): Heero YuyxLucrezia Noin

Genre(s): Adventure/Drama

A/N: Warning, possible AU and AR. And please note that **English is not my native language** , so please pardon me for any possible grammar and vocabulary mistakes.

* * *

 _A mysterious party is in motion and they already took Heero down. From the piece of information Heero got, it seems that all of these eventful chains are carefully staged through the years. With his partner temporarily out of commission, now it's up to Zechs and the others to put everything back in order._ _  
_

* * *

 ** _1: Mortal_**

 _March 13, AC 203_

 _Cancelled colony construction, L1 Area_

 _"Code 101-122, coming in. Code 101-122, coming in. Agent Wing, do you copy?"_

"Yes. Loud and clear."

 _"About fucking time. What took you so long, Yuy?"_

Heero twitched in annoyance at the crisp, sarcastic voice. "Patient, _Merquise._ We had a deal on this. I do this on my term."

A scoff from the other end of the earphone. _"You better have a good excuse, this has been over almost an hour. We're lagging behind. Seriously, have you lost your touch? I should have gone instead of you. Did you find it or_ not?"

"Yes," Heero bit his lip, holding back about venomous retort on his tongue. _Why the bloody hell Une would pair_ him _as his partner in this mission anyway?_ "I got it safely tucked under my shirt, if you care so much about that. Now shut that bloody whining of yours. You're distracting me."

 _"Then what makes you linger around there any longer? Just get the hell out from there now. Didn't you get what the Oracles proposed to us? We don't have any more seconds. Why the hell you're taking so—_ _"_

Heero took a deep breath as he steeled himself to sharpen his hearing and drowned out all of Zechs' cheeky protests. _The man was being exceptionally_ bitchy _today. Zechs was always like that when he was nervous about something. Talk about edgy..._

"Zechs," Heero gritted his teeth; he had indeed one very bloody good reason for the lack of his usual dexterity, " _shut up._ I hear someone fuss about the site, for God's sake. Now give me my deserved space to assess the whole situation. _Just. Fucking. Shut. Up."_

Zechs knew when Heero had volunteered to elaborate more than actually needed _and_ swore, then he _really_ meant business. He meant _fuck off or I kill you._ Zechs could picture the perfect expression of an annoyed Heero Yuy: the deadly glare, the taut face muscles, the thin lips, the low and intimidating voice; he had witnessed the ex-Gundam pilot demonstrated destructive results from his rage, and he certainly didn't entertain to experience it again.

 _"...Fine. The backups are on their way. Try to be as low as possible, Agent Wing. In and out."_

Heero scoffed in his mind. He had succeeded in reminding Zechs of who was in _control._ _Finally._

"Understood," Heero replied curtly as he took a step forward, without making any noise. He pulled his gun out from its holster, and he felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He was in a long, dark hallway of the abandoned colony main machinery and engineering construction site. He had succeeded to retrieve the required ledger documents for one particular illegal smuggler organisation the Preventers had been hunting until now _—_ Heero's intelligence unit had gathered information that lately there had been suspicious activity. They found out that it was indeed the recent illegal Gundanium contractor _—_ called 'Black Pensieve' (what a ridiculous name it was) _—_ that was giving the ESUN and colonies quite turmoil for they had done what the government feared most: trafficking arms and Gundanium materials to the underground black-markets. If Preventers couldn't cut off the chains; the war would surely set on fire again. Now, if only they decided to show themselves and he could get an opening to immobilise at least one of them, then let the backups took care of the rest...

But Heero knew that there was something much darker and deeper involved in this whole conflict.

Heero felt the hair on his nape stood to no end when his sharp hearing caught a soft thud by the end of the hallway. He placed his finger on his gun safety; ready to open fire. _That's it. More than one person, most likely. How long they have been...? Why couldn't I hear anything earlier?_

Was he getting _really_ rusty? _Damn you, Zechs._

A faint click broke through the silence, and a quiet hiss of a radio permeated through the hallway. Heero jerked sharply and jumped back just in time before a long leg swung in the air where his head just had been before. Heero let out a low 'oof!' when he dodged another punch from his back. Heero leapt aside and turned on his heels, facing his enemies.

Heero narrowed his eyes at his attackers. Both wore a dark space helmet and spacesuit; Heero couldn't make out their face at all. They were no taller than him (he had grown a few significant inches through the years), but from their build, Heero took a mild suggestion that at the most, they were only a couple years older than him. His instinct sensed _peril_. He needed to get out of this compound quickly.

"Who are you?" Heero asked quietly, drawing out his small, but as well deadly Gundanium-made blade in his left hand. He took a slight low stance, measuring distance as his mind took in data to calculate the upcoming possibilities. "Speak or I kill you."

His two guests didn't offer any response, but merely (seemingly) staring at him. The air was thick with nervous energy, but in Heero's case, slow, but bubbling rage.

"Who are you?" repeated Heero, voice as cold as thin ice. Despite his deadly aura, his heart told him, _Run. You'll die._

"Our order is to kill the Preventer commanders," one of them said suddenly, voice rattled behind the helmet. It held no emotion _—_ the voice was just merely speaking. Heero felt his heart actually dropped to his stomach _—_ nothing could make him ready of what was coming next.

Both of the strangers straightened and sped across the short distance at an unnatural speed. Heero let out a muffled gasp as he spun aside, barely dodging a knife attack. He bent his arm and released a full blow of his blade _—_ there was no holding back _—_ into the stomach of one of them; sending the body down the floor and a spurt of dark blood to his face. Heero used this momentum to fire two rounds _—_ a professional, he never shot more than two bullets at a time _—_ to the other with terrifying accuracy. The shots managed to haul significant crack to the helmet, and the figure stopped in his track as he, slowly, yanked the helmet off his head, revealing a dark hair and a pale face of a young man.

Heero stared unblinkingly. He steadied both his handgun and blade; ready to counterattack. The young man in front of him was unmistakably older than him, his eyes were deep green with a sharp nose and jaw. _German,_ Heero mused. _His eyes spoke everything._ He stepped back tentatively, and his opponent drew forward. Heero's jaw tightened; his lips thin. His own Prussian blue eyes were unforgiving; chilling and piercing. Heero narrowed his eyes, and flew forward without notice _—_ also in inhuman speed.

His enemy's eyes slightly widened at the blur that was Heero and was sent back to the wall in the next second, feeling air was knocked out his lungs. Heero swung his blade down for a finishing blow, but the other guy he had injured earlier was already in front of him before Heero could realise it and pain exploded within him.

 _What the hell?! The wound should have been at least immobilised him for a few good hours—!_

But not before he managed two fatal shots right at the dark-haired man's chest, and the body slid down the wall, eyes wide but unseeing.

Pain rammed Heero again backwards as he was struck across his chest three times in rapid succession with a speed and strength that left Heero shocked. He felt at least four ribs giving away under three more attacks. His consciousness was fading but he could barely sense he had stumbled back into one of the deserted rooms. He shut his eyes tightly and opened them again to gain a clearer view. His enemy was looking at him calculatingly with emotionless black eyes.

Heero's opponent walked steadily towards him. Ignoring the sharp wave of pain coursing his every cell, Heero bent down on his knees and lurched forward, but he wasn't quick enough _—_ his broken ribs impeded his mobility. He knew his lungs were compromised by the bones, they ruptured his lungs—that was bad. He only managed to fire once and _missed—_ it was as his enemy already knew where he would aim before he did.

 _Shit. Is this the time to pay for my sins?_

No. He had to finish the mission first. He couldn't afford to fail now—the Preventer needed the documents in his possession. They had sacrificed too many to come to this point.

The man tilted his head to the side, and then gracefully spun to deal a high sidekick. Heero almost didn't catch the extremely fast movement and barely rose his left arm to block the kick, and a sickening _crack_ told him that his arm had undoubtedly broken.

Heero grunted and swayed. _What a power!_ The man used the precious moment to deliver a hard stab with a knife to Heero's stomach and crushed Heero's head to the table behind them—forcefully. Colourful stars danced in Heero's eyes and he staggered, but he managed to hold his ground and jerked aside. The deep knife wound pouring his fresh blood freely, and judging from where the pain had bloomed, the knife most likely had impaired his abdominal aorta. _That wasn't good._

Heero dismayingly took notice of his failing respiratory system. He couldn't breathe without the sharp, stabbing pain puncturing his lungs. He raised his gun, satisfied that it was aimed steadily despite the excruciating pain across his whole body. His blade was nowhere in his possession anymore. Heero blinked away the drowsiness, his trained senses picked up that his body had taken far more serious damages in his subtle moment of vulnerability in previous, powerful attacks: a large, deep nasty gash manifested on his head and he was bleeding egregiously; external and internal. Realising that it was only sheer rage that was keeping him conscious, Heero summoned all his remaining strength and fired.

 _No—move, damn it—the documents... I need to deliver them..._

The last ounce of his consciousness seeped away and he crashed to the floor with a sickening _thud_ , a pool of dark blood quickly forming beneath his body.

A shout calling from distance but Heero heard no more.

* * *

 _March 15, AC 203_

 _Preventers L1 Hospital, 2140 hours_

In the dimness on the deserted corridor, Lady Une slouched in exhaustion as she checked her watch. The visiting hours were long over, but her field commander was on the brink of death after a failed assassination attempt by a party she suspected as the biggest illegal smuggler group they have been hunting for nearly 3 years _—_ and she felt responsible of his failed security.

The new ESUN's government policy to complete disarmament wasn't without dissension. Most of those who opposed were the military weapons companies and suppliers. ESUN had proposed them new business schemes; turning their weapon-oriented manufacture to something that would supply the colonies and Earth constructions _—_ and for the better world of peace and pacifism, of course. It took nearly 3 years for the new ESUN and colonies government to establish and provide a profitable scheme for both parties. However, not all of them came to the agreement, some walked-out from the negotiation and refused to let go of what had been feeding them all these years.

Those particular people then sprung up new criminal enterprises, building a massive and complicated underground connection for illegal weapon trading. The Mars Terraforming Project and a new colony construction in the area of Lagrangian Point 3 _—_ the least observed and built Lagrangian area _—_ added the bubbling stir into the uncertain political situation. People who were not satisfied rose to protest, escalating civil war in the third world countries which suffered the most from the war. Natural resources were becoming very scarce; the ESUN and colonies were struggling to keep their people fed. Agricultural and earth science engineers were suddenly needed than ever.

In other words, humanity was still at stake.

During these uncertain times, Preventers as the front line of both governments policy were the only hope of people. The existence of the organisation could no longer be hidden; they need every supports they could gather and the power of trust from the people. The Preventers, even though was originally established by and served for the ESUN, finally ended up as an independent organisation; refusing to be embroiled in the complicated world of politics. They would only do what they had to do: protecting the world and the fragile peace they had managed to achieve with blood and deaths. Regardless of whether it was ESUN or colonies government, Preventers would take it into their full account if a problem arises. Corruption became something very tempting for diplomats, and most likely erupted wave of anger amongst the people. Well, Lady Une knew it was a terribly long way before they could achieve real peace.

"Une?"

Lady Une shot her head up at the familiar voice. Milliardo Peacecraft was standing in front of her; his long white-blond hair was messy and his Preventer uniform was dishevelled.

"Agent Wind," Lady Une acknowledged, smiling faintly. "Splendid job you did back then in Australia. One line of fire down."

Milliardo shrugged and fell to the chair beside Lady Une. "Wouldn't have been able to do that without Barton. His timing was mostly impeccable."

"Where is he?"

"In the HQ. He wanted to sort through the documents Heero had extracted and fill in some of the data which Heero hadn't been able to. Said he would be here in 15 minutes, approximately."

 _Heero._ Lady Une noticed the use of her commander's given name, which is rather unusual for Zechs _—Milliardo_. _He was worried..._

A deafening silence fell between them; each falling to their respective thoughts.

"Have you told your sister?" Une finally asked quietly. Milliardo blinked wearily as he turned to his companion, his look was blank.

"No," Milliardo admitted. "Not yet. I... don't think it's a good idea, considering her situation."

 _Damn right. She is the one who's having the hardest time dealing with all of the diplomats, in these situations..._ "I see your point."

"Still no news regarding Yuy's condition?"

Lady Une was about to open her mouth when a nurse strode across them, and whispered urgently, "Major General Une, he is awake. He asks for _—_ "

"He's awake?!" Une rose to her feet immediately, upset. "But he shouldn't be _—_ "

"Yes, and he asks for you. We tried to sedate him, but he was fighting the staff, so we decided to go by his requests now. The sooner you're done, the better."

Lady Une nodded stiffly. "Let's go then."

Milliardo also got up, but Lady Une shook her head. "You better stay here, fill in the others when they get here. There's a chance he will get too fired up if he sees you; he would ask you what had happened. I'll not try to dig too deep, he shouldn't even be awake."

Milliardo only shrugged, and slumped back on the chair. _I was bitching all over him like a clingy girlfriend just because of that sickening hunch on my stomach. Did I contribute my part to throw him into this situation?_

Milliardo groaned, leaning his head against the wall as his brain ground every information he could relive.

 _Fuck. Fuck you, Yuy, now you will get my sister all lashing about on me. I should have gone in your place instead..._

* * *

The ICU room was dark; filled with hisses and noises from the medical equipment taking its measurement. Heero was conscious and he was facing the door, his expression was blank by fatigue. His face muscles were taut with pain; his breathing was haggard.

"Heero," Lady Une reached a hand to the wounded agent. Her heart flinched with fear as she studied his helpless form. Almost of Heero's entire abdomen and head wrapped in bandages; fresh blood already seeping out from some parts of the broken body. His broken right arm was in a bulky cast. Even so, the deep blue eyes were as bright and sharp as she could remember, aware and alert. "You should wait until you're more lucid. You need to rest."

"No," Heero hissed, struggling to take a breath. "We were _—_ tapped. Notice to... all hands to _—_ to switch to my – " he gasped sharply, clenching his eyes shut as waves of excruciating pain washed over his body. Lady Une subconsciously jerked back slightly at the sound, wincing in sympathy. The nurses immediately approached the bed, and one of them said huskily to Lady Une, "Lady Une, we're very sorry, but you must go. Commander Yuy is in extreme pain and severe physical trauma; he cannot exert himself to this point. If you would please _—_ "

"Shut it up," suddenly Heero hissed furiously, traces of his earlier signs of the damaged body were completely gone. The nurses dropped jaws and stepped back instinctively upon the threatening tone. Lady Une stared at the wounded agent in shock, blinking confusedly.

"Heero, what the hell? How could you _—_ damn it, just rest, okay? We will take over. You don't need to worry about it. Your agents are already in motion and investigations are under its way. How the hell did you do _that?"_

"Switch to my own secure line," Heero continued rigidly, gripping Lady Une's arm with such strength that she blinked in surprise. "Their order was to have us dead..."

Lady Une straightened at the statement and leaned in closer. "They are targeting the high officials?"

Heero tightened his grip. "Conduct a thorough investigation within the government... Une..." the grip suddenly loosened and the hand fell limply. A nurse let out a low squeak as she hurried to leave for the doctors while the others moved forward again, urging Lady Une. "General, please, would you?"

Lady Une nodded curtly. "I'll do that," she promised quickly, having her clear mind back. "We'll do that, we promise. At ease, Heero. You can trust me and others. We'll take your findings into full account. Just rest and recuperate." She nodded to the anxious nurses around them, and retreated from the bed. She carefully put Heero's now limp hand back to the white sheet, and gave a last calming gesture to her field commander. Apparently, Heero was already unconscious, and Lady Une quietly exited the room.

 _Oh God... why does the circle always loop over?_

* * *

 _L1 Colony_

 _Unidentified area_

"You failed, 03!"

A man with glassy black eyes stared ahead, not even flinching at the raging voice. He didn't show any sign of discomfort, or any sort of emotion. He merely accepting the bashing from his inferior.

"What made it so difficult to kill _him?_ He's just a broken remnant of war!"

"He is as efficient as the Perfect Soldier he was. I didn't expect he would be that good. He was dangerous, and we were trained not to take unnecessary risks."

 _"Excuses, excuses!_ You all have undergone a very extensive training and I have conditioned _all_ of you even better than him! Don't you talk back to me _—_ I had my research, and I know what I'm doing! You're useless! Not to say that 05 is _dead—_ useless! Absolute disgrace! You know eliminating Yuy is our highest priority _—_ he's their pillar and it is essential to execute him! You want to go under those tortures again, huh?! I don't care how _—_ kill him in his death bed _now_ if needed, if that makes your job easier _—_ and Une! I want them dead now!"

The man's body tensed. He hadn't been disgraced that far for taking a like to kill an already half-dead man and while he wasn't able to defend himself, to say the least. Nonetheless, he nodded stiffly — just to satisfy his inferior. _What a dick. He knows nothing and acts all mighty, but he's just a child, really. Why all politicians are such a handful arse..._ "We will make sure of it."

The other man shouted loudly as he stood up and stomped in frustration, and left the premise with inaudible curses. '03' watched in amusement, and he turned around to face another presence in the room.

"What do you think, 02?" 03 asked thoughtfully, resting his chin on his hand playfully.

"Hm..." 02, whose hair was a light blonde with clear blue eyes, shrugged carelessly. "Yuy wasn't bad. But he's gone too soft, really. What do _you_ think?"

03 dropped to the floor and crossed his legs comfortably. "I agree with you. He's become too soft. It wasn't what I expected, I thought he would be much more of a handful problem. But I really meant what I said earlier. He was still _very_ good, all things considered. If he was in his top condition, I would've died within minutes. The feeling... the fear was real. I _felt it._ The moment he set eyes on me my body was screaming to run. Damn, I really wanted to run far away from him. To be honest, eh... it took a damn lot of willpower not to run. It was out of my calculation. Still. He's truly dangerous. You saw how effective he was when he executed 05."

"Hm, I see. The rumour that his eyes alone could kill was true then." 02 said with a grin. "I didn't expect he would kill 05 either. He was damn quick and efficient. Ah... I wished I was there. No wonder Une _loves_ him the most, hm. What do you see?"

"What do _you_ see?" 03 returned mockingly.

"He has a condition," 02 answered lightly. "Old injuries, mostly. And the tampering. Constant use _—_ abusive ones _—_ of drugs for years. It's starting to take effect. He wasn't built to last."

03's expression suddenly turned grim. "He wasn't," he agreed. "That's why killing him will be damn hard. I don't kill already half-dead men."

02 snorted. "Really. We've got paid to kill Yuy. Of course we'll kill him."

"There are too many inconstant variables when it comes to dealing with Heero Yuy," 03 reminded. "He's an enigma, I acknowledge that. I know when I have to call off the strings. One of us already dead, and we were built to _kill_ people within his calibre. That alone has proved how jumbled our situation is."

"Either way, it's him and his little friends or us." 02 concluded shortly. "Don't let your kindness get you killed, Evseev."

Evseev looked up and smiled thinly. "Eh, the same goes to you too, Alekseeva. Actually, to all of us."


	3. 2: A Handful

**A Gundam Wing/AC Fanfiction –** _ **Discarded Swords**_

Disclaimer: Usual disclaimer applies.

Character(s): Heero Yuy/Odin Lowe

Pairing(s): Heero Yuy/Lucrezia Noin

Genre(s): Adventure/Drama

A/N: Please note that English is not my native language, so please pardon me for any possible grammar and vocabulary mistakes.

 _ **Additional notes:**_ **there are some Russians in here, but because I used Google Translate (I tried to translate from clear English as possible), so for those who speak the language may find some mistakes in the translation. If you do, I'd much appreciate the input from you for the correct ones and I'll change the translation. :)**

* * *

 _Conflicts started to emerge to the surface; conspiracies brewing within the ESUN and Preventers. The ex-Gundam pilots decided to spring into action. Meanwhile, a figure from Heero's past appeared, and a chain of events would have their stage._

* * *

 ** _2: A Handful_**

 _Unspecified date, AC 202_

 _Eastern Borneo Preventers Base, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia_

Lucrezia Noin stared at the piece of paper in front of her in disbelief. This so-called Black Pensieve organisation—apparently was a lot more of a threat than they had predicted before. A handful, Noin scoffed in her mind, as Heero would say.

The digits printed on the paper were bothering her. _This big sum of the amount could send the President to somersault on his bed any day. How could they manage such big money laundering transactions under the radar? This must have taken years to be smooth._

 _Or there were seriously important parties involved to pull all of these strings_.

 _Not good._

Indonesia was one of Black Pensieve's massive production and operative areas. The country's long history retraced back to when it became the world's biggest military and combat equipment manufacturer—this was the impact of Indonesia's cheap labour force since centuries ago. Lots of countries invested their productions in Indonesia. The cheap labour force was not the only reason—Indonesia's complex terrain, which could be said covered almost all type of lands, was pitch-perfect for military equipment testing. That was why it was essential for ESUN and Preventers to establish their authority in the country.

The clock flashed exactly 1 am on Lucrezia's laptop screen. _Oh well,_ she thought as she reached a hand to close the lid and stretched her chair away from the desk, _may as well do this again tomorrow when Hardijaya is on his round again. Now let's get some sleep..._

She let out a surprised gasp when she felt the chair's balance failed and she fell to the floor unceremoniously. Lucrezia let out some quick Italian curses as she collected herself, and growled when she saw Heero Yuy was looking down at her, one eyebrow arched in subtle amusement as he observed her movement.

"You were wide open, Noin," Yuy informed calmly. He put down a stack of folder onto the desk, his eyes narrowed at the piece of paper Lucrezia previously read. "You shouldn't let your guard down."

"Thank you for the information, Heero," Lucrezia grumbled, raising to her feet. "What are those?"

"Intel."

"Bad one?"

"Affirmative."

Lucrezia let out a troubled sigh. "This goes even deeper than we thought. What do those say?"

"ESUN's compromised."

Lucrezia gaped at the young agent. "Huh? Could you please elaborate more than two-sentences—that's not even two, damn it!—answer, Heero?"

"Possible ESUN's intervention. Possible tampered information. Low profile, almost like a ghost connection. Corruptions. More money laundering. Random pattern, hard to track."

 _Hard to track even for his standard? My Lord..._

"Well I'll be... crafty bugger," Lucrezia phrased quite correctly. "How?"

Heero's visage hardened considerably. "Conspiracy."

"So we were right." Lucrezia took a folder and skimmed the contents inside. "But?"

"You cannot trust everything in there."

"Right, 'tampered information'. You're saying we should move independently?"

Heero's deep blue eyes turned cold, and Noin instinctively took one step backwards. _God, he was still as deadly as he was during the war... I'd never get used to this..._ "I never truly trust anything."

"Yes, yes, like you always tell the newbies. You know, Hardijaya is running thin on you. He asked me if Brussels couldn't send another instructor in your place, he thinks your way is just too absurd. Really, Yuy? Telling those new recruits to 'trust no one but yourself'? It's just the same with telling them to fight each other, Heero. You must change your approach."

"I'm trying to keep them alive," said Heero matter-of-factly.

Something uncomfortable prickled on Lucrezia's skin. "Do you trust us?"

Heero's eyes slowly turned to her, and Lucrezia's heart stopped beating for a moment. His expression was stony, unreadable; the jaw was set in a tight line and the Prussian blue orbs were glimmering dangerously under the dim light, conveying his intimidating and powerful presence. Lucrezia could feel a cold running down her spine, and she was momentarily paralysed under the harsh scrutiny. And suddenly, a thin smile crept up his face—which Lucrezia had learned—as no small achievement for everyone.

Lucrezia exhaled; not noticing that she had been holding back her breath. _Damn it, Heero, why the hell you have to be so interestingly dangerous... praise the Lord he is not the enemy..._

"Yes." The young male agent answered quietly. "I trust a handful of you."

Lucrezia smiled as she nodded. "A handful. Sure."

They were silent for a moment before finally, Heero spoke, "We can sort them later in the morning. Go to sleep, Noin. Goodnight."

"Yeah, you too, Heero," Lucrezia watched Heero walked away. Both she and Heero were sent by Major General Une to the Borneo base to be guest instructors for the new special recruits. They had already been in the base for almost 5 months now. Lady Une had specified to Lucrezia in private that Heero was given an additional task to investigate Indonesia's Preventers organisation structure for possible internal treachery, rising from the new established ESUN's high official structure. Lady Une had long suspected that there were certain problems, but they had never been able to investigate deeper—there were always specific policies which hampered their movement. Thus, Heero's suspicion.

Heero had first joined the Preventers in late AC 196 after missing without a trace after the Mariemaia incident, as security IT staff; before promoted a year later into a special ops agent as kindling and fire disasters slowly became more aggressive. He was partnered with his fellow ex-Gundam pilot, Chang Wufei, who had been positioned as a field agent since he first joined the organisation in early 196. It wasn't long before both of them were given their own unit to command; the two ex-Gundam pilots acted as co-captains for their team. Since then, Heero and Wufei had gone on various kindling and fire disasters missions, especially when they started detecting the movement of black-market arms smugglers. But three years ago, Wufei was transferred to the Australian territories and vaulted as the Major—as the head of the Australia base. Following Wufei's promotion, Heero then also got a new position: the Special Ops and Field Regiments Commander, with Lucrezia as his second in command.

Lucrezia was voraciously exhilarated the moment Lady Une announced her new post. She had been waiting for the time she could actually work in the field together with the infamous Heero Yuy. After all, from whom she could learn the best, if not the former Zero One pilot? And all of those rumours of the many crazy stunts he'd done when he was in the field? This is gonna so, so, worth it all.

"I really couldn't find another place that fits you the most within the agency, but here, Yuy," Lady Une said to both of them. "You're too independent to be a subordinate. Not to say, I have to admit that you're still the best field agent we have in here. I believe your extensive knowledge and expertise will do best with you leading our Special Ops and Field Regiments Division." Lady Une paused, looking at Heero with a calculating look. She reached for a folder on her desk.

"Stated in here, as part in your monthly psych-eval report, that you have been 'conducting many dangerous and unnecessary actions on the field against the Preventers general safety policy'." Une looked up at this and Lucrezia let out a laughter. Heero remained silent; his expression still usually stoic, but there was a slight twinkle of amusement on his deep blue eyes. Une didn't hold back anymore as she also laughed. "Thus the decision from my suggestion that Noin will be your lieutenant to defuse the tension of the brass. She will... ah, make sure everything goes by protocols, Yuy."

"I'm simply trying to get my job done quickly and efficiently. I do what I see fit and necessary, Major General. I make sure I left no chance for failure. Everything I do is based on careful calculations." Heero said placidly.

"I know," Lady Une conceded softly, "but the executives don't agree, Heero. And as much as we—or maybe you, particularly—hate it, this isn't the war anymore, so there are rules bound to be obeyed, and protocols to be followed. Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to keep tabs on you. I trust you and your judgment. That's why Noin will be doing the hard part on your behalf. Sounds good?"

"Fair enough," Heero finally said after a moment of consideration. Lucrezia saluted playfully and extended an arm for a handshake. "Lucrezia Noin, at your service, Commander Yuy. I'm really looking forward to working together with you." Lucrezia took a deep breath and she squeezed her new boss' hand tighter; a surge of excitement rushed through her entire adrenaline. _"Oooh, damn,_ Heero, you don't know _how_ excited I am right now! I am gonna see so many things, by myself, now!"

Major General Une raised an eyebrow at this and Heero gave a look that both women could only describe as blatant mirth. Lucrezia would have sworn she could see the upper edge of Heero's lips twitched to an almost invisible smirk.

"I won't disappoint," Heero promised; Prussian blue eyes were bright. "I guarantee something flashy to your taste, Noin."

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you!" Lucrezia laughed, grinning widely. "I don't expect that you're capable of joking, nah! Really looking forward to it, Heero."

"I trust that you are aware what will this bring to you, Lucrezia, Heero," Lady Une straightened up on her seat, her face was serious and concerned. "Not all the brass are on the same ride with me—with the high position you carry now, also come the big responsibility. You have to play politics too, and you may make more enemies as you gain something. Heero, Lucrezia... please, watch each other's back."

Heero and Lucrezia nodded in unison at this. "Understood, Major General."

* * *

Morning came too fast to Lucrezia. The hot and humid weather made her ascend to the land of living an unpleasant feeling. She never could get used to this tropical weather... she wanted to patrol the woods already. At least, the forest provided fresh and cool air.

Lucrezia proceeded to the sink across the room—which was sparsely furnished for minimum basic amenities: a single bed, a wooden working desk with attached drawers, a cupboard. A few photo frames stood on the desk, and Lucrezia smiled.

A familiar beep pattern echoed from the video-phone device. She dried her face with a clean towel and proceeded to receive the call. "Noin."

"Good morning, Lieutenant," a smooth, deep, tenor voice resonated from the machine, one she had conversed with every day. She had grown fond of that soothing tone. "Your attendance will be required within 10 minutes in A137."

"Good morning, Commander Yuy," Lucrezia replied smoothly, giving a quick salute. "Understood. I will be there in 10 minutes."

Her superior offered no response, he simply nodded and disconnected the call. Lucrezia chuckled at the gesture and quickly dressed into her uniform jacket, leaving the thin, khaki Preventers' standard-issued t-shirt beneath. She snatched her ID badge, clipping it on her left chest, and grabbed a stack of a folder as she made her way out of the room.

Lucrezia stalked across the hallway, opting for the stairs as her designated room was on the second storey. She greeted a few local agents passing by her, throwing some quick _'pagi_ ' [1] cheerfully. She made her way out of the block flats, heading straight into the main office building.

Lucrezia proceeded with the security, scanning her ID and fingerprints and through the metal detectors. The security guards beamed at her. "Agent Noin! _Pagi banget hari ini?_ " [2]

Lucrezia mimicked a grimace as she jabbed her finger repeatedly above to the air. The guards laughed knowingly. "Ah, Commander Yuy for the breakfast? _Ya ampun..._ [3] good luck, Miss!"

"He's not so bad," one of the guards argued. "He's brilliant at what he's doing, he just needs to lessen a little bit. Someone that young, he should be having more fun rather than be all that intense and serious. What is he, 23?"

"Twenty-two," Lucrezia corrected.

"Right, twenty-two, and he acts and thinks like he's forty-something. _Gila nggak sih?_ " [4]

"Ah, but he already has Agent Noin, Aldo," the other one winked, and Lucrezia rolled her eyes. _Why is the gossip still spreading around? I could get myself killed by him if words reached him... maybe not._ "Right, Agent Noin?"

Lucrezia shook her head in disbelief. "What, it's still the same old stories? Wake up, gentlemen. You _know_ him; does he look like one who surrounds himself with women? I beg to differ." She chuckled lightly, but inside, she hadn't lost hope. "I admire and respect him for his high-aptitude intelligence, and I respect him even more for his humanity. He has a very good heart, something we desperately need in these desperate times."

Aldo nodded. "I certainly agree on that, Agent. He knows his stuff."

"That he does. Well, I'd better get going now, gentlemen. I was given 10 minutes," Lucrezia started walking away, waving.

"Time-controlling freak, that man eh?"

"It's kept us alive," said Lucrezia matter-of-factly. The guards smiled solemnly at this, "It sure is, Agent Noin."

* * *

 _March, AC 200_

 _ESUN's Parliament Building, Brussels, Belgium_

As much as Relena Darlian hated it, an annual summit was mandatory and it did necessary.

Only sometimes, it was way _too_ grand to her taste and everything took, and passed, bloody slowly.

 _Ah... I wanted to go home already... Pagan would have me ready for a lovely, warm cup of tea in the study..._

But she was stuck with dull pleasantries with the parliaments and played the good lady before and after the summit. She glanced around the massive hall, a small smile made its way to her face when she saw Heero Yuy and another few Preventers agents were stationed as the afternoon's security details, including Chang Wufei. The Brussels' police task force was also scattered all over the building, taking direct command from Heero. The two ex-pilots stood nearby each other, exchanging words in a low voice whilst their eyes brushed all over the room, sharp and focused. Heero's eyes met Relena's momentarily and he nodded in acknowledgement in her discomfort, and the next second his eyes were wandering through the people in his charge again. The deep blue was saying to her, _Only a little bit more. Hang in there._

Relena's smile grew wider and her mood lifted up, albeit only a little bit, at the mutual feeling the Preventers' agent shared with her. The president, Sir Dathan Sutton of Britain, finally raised from his seat and Heero quickly moved to the stage. Two personal guards were already by the president's both side as Sutton strode forward, stopping here and there to greet some people of interest. Relena watched as Heero surveyed his new in-charge, face hard, eyes focused; giving some quick orders through his earphone as he slightly bowed and nodded at Sutton who in return smiled and gave a light pat of appreciation on Heero's shoulder while he climbed up the stage. Heero spoke briefly with the president and his hand gestured the man to the podium. The 2 personal guards stepped back, and Heero came forward instead, standing right behind Sutton.

Sutton began with the usual greetings of addressing some few names. It took a full 3 minutes of speech of pleasantries before the president began the agenda. Relena was forced to pay attention to the papers handed out to each person in the room earlier, and soon she was focused solely on the materials in front of her.

Relena happened to look up to the podium after 10 minutes of the president's presentation and her heart palpitated in sudden anxiety. It was with no reason: Heero was staring at the grand chandelier right above the podium rigidly, his face lines considerably hardened as his mouth barking orders quickly into his earphone. He then directed his eyes to the mezzanine door, where stewards were coming in with drinks and snacks. Relena felt rather than saw that Chang Wufei already left his post and the police task force outside had barged inside. She turned back to Heero who was now practically pushing the president off the podium, and she heard Chang Wufei's harsh voice thundering over them all, calm and authoritative:

"Sir and Madams, please rise from your seat and leave this room right now! There is no need to panic—I repeat, no need to panic—please follow the policemen and agents in front of you! Remain order—I repeat, remain order!—you'll be escorted to safety! Do not panic and trust us—you'll be escorted to safety! I repeat: do not panic and remain order here!"

The Chinese agent's strong, confident, and commanding voice had the desired effect as people followed the direction from the police task force and Preventers without much turmoil, though worried and anxious murmurs buzzing through the tense air. Relena found herself was pushed along the way, and she hastily looked back to the podium, searching for Heero.

Heero was still on the stage with Sutton, and apparently, Sutton was asking about the situation and judging from their expression, Heero and Sutton most likely were arguing. Knowing the president's good nature (which was no rare occasion became a hindrance), it wasn't hard to tell that he refused to be taken to safety and wanted to see through to the end of the commotion.

In which of course Heero went against it.

More than half of the attendees and she had already reached the side door to the backyard when a savage explosion and bright white light overcame the hall and surrounding area.

Screeches of whether pain or surprise erupted around Relena; her ears ringing painfully and her head was pounding. Debris was all falling around them along with the window glasses. She instinctively dropped flat on the ground and put both her arms above her head to avoid impact from them; feeling a protective arm around her shoulder. She looked up and recognised it as her boss—the foreign minister himself, Adriaan Patel. The older man's face was strained, and he said simply, "Keep down, Miss Darlian. Let's not move for a while."

Relena could only nod in response as she ignored the sensation in order to concentrate—on what, exactly?

 _No God... no no no. Heero!_

* * *

 _March 19, AC 203_

 _L1 Colony Cluster_

"I've said I would never fuckin' agree to this plan from the beginning! Now look where we stranded up to!"

Chang Wufei sighed heavily, rubbing his temple in annoyance. "Maxwell, shouting about won't help anything."

"Why the hell Preventers built those anyway?!" Duo shot back, an uncharacteristic fury was clear on his face. "When you lot asked me to supply you from my scrap yard, you said it was – "

"I know, Maxwell, and I'm sorry about that," Wufei said tiredly. "I don't approve of it either, for your knowledge. I couldn't do anything. Even Yuy couldn't. He's a field commander and I'm just a major, and the whole project's only known to the high officials— _the brass._ I should have..." Wufei took a deep breath, trying to regain his bearings, "... done something about that."

"Wufei, stop blaming yourself," Quatre argued. "This is out of our reach. I don't honour the way Preventers handling this, I must say. What they're doing just adding the acid into the liquid, and one of us must now bear the consequences. They didn't volunteer any information to you yet, Wufei?"

Wufei's expression hardened at this and he let out some quick (apparently) curses in Mandarin. "No. They refused to tell me anything."

"Fuck 'em!" Duo barked, pacing back and forth the room. He needed to release his energy to someone responsible—a Preventers, preferably. "Mobile suits, 'Fei, fuckin' _mobile suits!_ After all their shit talks about peace and pacifism and complete disarmament post that crazy little-girl accident!"

"Hang on. Did they come out from the Preventers itself, or were they being pushed by ESUN or something? We all know how Preventers works. You're independent." Trowa directed his statement to Wufei.

"It's always a possibility." Wufei frowned. "I'll take my gamble on the latter."

"What I'm saying is Preventers' under some old horses' puissance," Duo snorted indignantly. "Jesus Christ! You should have told us, Wufei! Or... wait. Why didn't Heero tell us? Huh?!"

"Maxwell, I perfectly understand why you are angry, but would you please not blame Yuy? He didn't know anything about the project just until a few weeks ago. He's a field commander, and in case you don't remember, his position doesn't have any business in the relevant department. Unless the project was to be used officially by the agents, the words won't come out. Just give him some slack. He already paid more than he bargained for because of this... foolishness."

Wufei's slouched and weary features somehow calmed Duo's raging nerves. He sighed dramatically and slumped to the nearby chair.

"They're using us as guinea pigs," Duo spat bitterly. "I always knew rules mean shit. That's it, 'Fei. You and Heero are not to be a part of that fuckin' organisation anymore. I refuse to take part in any of this!"

Wufei's body considerably tensed at this. "Maxwell—"

"Don't ya _Maxwell_ me! I'm not having my friends' life all in danger, not to say Hilde with the baby—"

 _"Listen to me, Duo._ We couldn't."

"Yeah, and why's that?!"

"Get your brain to work, Maxwell. I said that we couldn't, not _would not."_

Duo was taken aback at this and he shut his mouth. He eyed Wufei suspiciously and crossed his arms across his chest stiffly. "And that meaning?"

Quatre stepped forward. "Wufei, there's something you haven't told us. What is it? Please, let us help. We don't need you getting injured too. Is there a certain party that threatened you and Heero or something alike? Don't leave us in the dark like this. How are we supposed to help you if you keep us away in the dark?"

"... I suppose you could say that."

Somehow a lump made its way to Quatre's throat and his stomach did a painful stir. "It's Yuy and the general and the other high officials. Zechs... told me that Heero was awake for a moment after the first surgery, and he was lucid enough to tell Une that whoever attacked him had particular orders."

The other three ex-Gundam pilots shifted anxiously.

"Their order was to have the Preventers commanders dead."

A sudden deafening silence crept over the room. Duo gaped, Quatre gasped, and Trowa... well, frowned.

"Okay." Duo swallowed hard. "Yeah, okay. That... explains some... uh, you're saying the crazy major general and Heero and you and your commanders are being targeted?"

"Yes."

"That's big!" Duo announced dumbly.

"... Yes, we are very well aware of it, Maxwell." Wufei scoffed.

"So we're trapped in the circle, theoretically." Trowa surmised out loud.

"Pretty much." Wufei nodded grimly. "I just can't walk away from this now. I can make use of my Preventers' access."

"Okay, okay. I gotta call Smoky," finally, Duo said, wrinkling his nose uncomfortably. "This callin' for a far some big fish! And hope he can get information... Wufei, I'm sorry for lashing out on ya." Duo shot a weak smile to the Chinese man. "It's just, you know... I'm fuckin' worried about 'Ro. He can't... I mean, I don't want him—yanno—"

Quatre nodded anxiously. "You're right, Duo. Heero must not... with his recent physical condition... if he takes more than this, he might—" Quatre stopped abruptly, shaking his head. _"Yaa Allah!"_

"I know," Wufei gave an uncharacteristic sigh, gritting his teeth in frustration. "I don't understand why General Une let Yuy went all alone to the site, with all situations clearly telling that Yuy is their target! Merquise should have gone along with him!"

An awkward, lengthy silence fell over them. _Why, indeed, when it was already clear from Heero's psych-eval?_

"Then I shall patch through Rashid and the Maguanacs." Quatre finally said decisively. He looked at Wufei. "Would that be a problem?"

"No, if it's all kept indiscretion."

"Then we shall do just that." Trowa shrugged and calmly reached for his laptop. "We could arrange so that Smoky and Rashid will be in contact. Faster and safer that way."

"Sure, I agree. Heh, just like ol' times." Duo said ruefully. "By the way, who was that ridiculously tall, blond man with a funny accent back in the hospital? I heard him asking for Heero's room, but I couldn't recall him being one of the agents..."

"You've lost your short-term memory now, Maxwell? Zechs is acceptably well-known around—wait, _what did you just say?"_ Wufei shouted, jumping off his seat.

"Toldja'—the guy is platinum blond, which I dislike, by the way, way too feminine, don't ya think? Not to say—shit wait, _what?!_ " Duo exclaimed loudly, slapping his own forehead. _"What da' fuck_ —how da' fuck did I miss that?! Shit, shit! 'Fei, you're gonna have to call 'em securities and Sally!"

"Maxwell, you _swine!_ " Wufei was literally going ballistic, but he forced away from the urge to punch Duo right in the face as he reached for his phone instead.

"I'm going to the hospital," Trowa announced, grabbing his black coat. "Make sure it's safe per protocol?"

"We will, we will! Just go!" Duo barked impatiently. _"Fuck!_ Quat, you go with Trowa!"

"Let's go." Quatre's face was pale and he dashed to the door with Trowa in tow. Wufei spoke quickly into his phone whilst giving Duo a deadly glare that matched to one of Heero's. Duo groaned and buried his face into his palm, mortified.

"Shit, Wufei, I'm so sorry! I'm fucking sorry! I don't know why I didn't realise it!"

"Now I am angry with you," Wufei snarled nastily and snatched his Preventers jacket, stomping to the door and vanished shortly.

Duo groaned again as he followed suit, already dialling a number on his own phone.

* * *

 _AC 200_

Relena's head shot up immediately again at the name lingering in her mind and she frantically looked around, searching. All hell broke loose; people were now in panic and scattered all over the garden, trying to get out of the premise. The Preventers agents and police task force were struggling to keep order, and more of Preventers agents scurried into the scene. She felt herself being dragged away, Patel's voice urging her, "Come on, Miss Darlian, we need to get out of this place. The Preventers are here."

"No!" Relena squeaked. "The President—Heero—Agent Yuy—they were still inside! We have to get them out!"

"Miss Darlian—"

" _No!_ You don't understand—please!" She grasped an arm of the nearest agent. "Heero—your commander, he was still inside with Sir Sutton when the explosion—please, you have to—!"

"Ma'am, please calm down, our agents are already—"

"No! You don't understand! They were caught in the explosion, _damn it!_ "

"Vice Minister Darlian, calm down."

Chang Wufei's steady voice reached her ears, and she instantly obeyed. Chang Wufei had always that calming effect on her; she trusted the Chinese man as much as she trusted Heero.

"Minister Patel, please follow Agent Holmes here," Wufei gestured to the agent Relena had grabbed before behind him. "I will look after Vice Minister Darlian."

Patel seemed to want to argue, but finally, he nodded curtly. "Thank you, Major Chang."

Wufei walked forward briskly, leading Relena to the forecourt of the parliament building. Ambulances and medics were swarming around; tending to the injured and provide assistance to those in need. Apparently, the injuries were not serious, mostly suffered from bruises and superficial wounds.

"There were only 5 casualties, so far, they were crushed by building debris. We managed to evacuate most of them just in time," Wufei quickly supplied. "President Sutton is safe."

Relena's heart skipped a beat. "We managed to extract Sir Sutton and Yuy from the compound. The President is mostly unscathed, only some minor lacerations."

They reached an ambulance with fewer people around it. Relena could see Sir Sutton, standing on his own feet, his face was marred with small cuts and betadine, but otherwise seemed to be fine. He was talking rapidly to the medics, urging something.

Relena broke off in a run before Wufei could say a word and her heart dropped to her stomach painfully.

Heero was on the gurney, intubated; conscious but severely injured. All she could see was blood on his entire body; a portion of his right shoulder looked like it had been sliced open with jagged glass, and she realised that it might be the truth. She could see the glass shards also embedded into other parts of his skin and she whimpered. His neck was in a brace. A nasty gash was on the top of his head, sticking the dark hair together in the area with the dried blood; trails of the dark liquid streaked the face. His right calf was torn, the bones and flesh beneath the skin were crushed. His breath coming in ragged and strained.

 _Oh my God... no, no, please God, no. Please, no..._

"Yuy used his body as a shield for the President," said Wufei in a low voice in Relena's ear. "His back received the most damage, we cannot make sure how bad it is before we get him to the hospital. I'm afraid the debris might have hit his spine, preliminary assessments showed he has trouble with movement. He has a severe concussion, too. He's lost consciousness for a few seconds 3 times already. He was coherent, but if he loses consciousness, it's bad."

"... There's no but and I will be coming with you. And you will make sure you give him the best treatment, do you understand?" It was Sutton; his voice steady and firm, but it was apparent that the man was shocked. He was slightly trembling, and he looked down, taking Heero's hand into his and squeezed it tightly.

"Thank you, Commander Yuy," said Sutton sombrely, quietly this time, and he shuddered with emotions. "I'm sorry I broke protocols... all you were trying to do was to protect me. I owe you my life. I am forever in your debt. You will get back on your feet in no time, I'll make sure of that."

The paramedics moved the gurney to the ambulance with quick efficiency. Wufei reached past the medic and carefully pulled Heero's dog tag dangling around his chest. "Here, be careful. He is insensitive to a lot of medication. Scan this, it will tell you what you can use."

"Got it." The medic nodded, and he took his PDA from his belt and scanned the tag. His eyes widened at the result, but he recovered quickly and announced, "Preventers Med is too far, we need to get him to Saint-Luc, it's the closest and they have everything he is subjected to. ETA 10 minutes."

A quiet groan came out from Heero, and the wounded agent rasped weakly, "... Lucre... zia..."

Relena blinked, approaching the gurney cautiously. _What? Did he just say Lucrezia? As in Lucrezia Noin? What's with the first name-calling?_

"Noin is on her way," confirming Relena's suspicion, Wufei said carefully, nodding to the medics to proceed. Wufei entered the vehicle, resting a calming hand on Heero's good arm. "She's already informed. She will be in hospital when you get there. It's fine, Yuy. You'll be alright."

"Re... lena...?" Heero was struggling to stay conscious; his eyelids began drooping.

Wufei gestured Relena to come and she apprehensively complied. She took a deep breath, forcing a weak smile as she touched Heero's uninjured arm with trembling hands.

"I'm here, Heero," Relena whispered, voice quivering and tears started in her eyes. "I'm alright. I'm fine, I'm not hurt. Don't worry about me. We will meet you again in the hospital, okay?"

Heero visibly relaxed at this, his hazy eyes focused on Relena for a moment as if to make sure she was really there. Then, with a sharp gasp, his body spasmed as a wave of sharp pain hit and his eyes clamped shut.

"Ma'am," one of the medics urged them, and Wufei nodded as he jumped out again and helped Relena did so. Sutton nodded to both of them and one of his personal bodyguards jumped in instead.

One question still bothered Relena as she watched the vehicle sped away, _Why was the first word that came out from Heero in his delirious state is Noin?_

* * *

The journey to Saint-Luc hospital was thick with anxiety and consternation. Wufei sat behind the wheel rigidly, solely focusing on the road in front of him. Various possible scenes played in Relena's mind, and she let out distressed sobs as suppressed adrenaline and emotions from the previous incident finally broke.

But only one question she really wanted to know the answer...

"Wufei... he'll be alright, right?"

Wufei didn't answer right away and sighed heavily. "Noin's keeping me informed, but Yuy's in pretty bad shape. Knowing him, though, I'm sure he will be back on his feet in no time."

"I... wasn't aware that Noin was also a part of today's details," she said quietly, nonplussed.

Wufei kept his eyes on the road. "She wasn't. Noin is Yuy's health proxy."

Relena blinked. _What?_

"W-what? Heero's proxy?"

"Vice versa. Yuy is also her health proxy. They agreed to it, it seemed. I think their level of trust has reached a higher level since they became a partner. I believe they share a co-housing, too."

"Co-housing?" repeated Relena in disbelief. A twinge of jealousy seared across her heart sharply. That close already?

"I think you better to talk with Noin if... ah, you want to know about it. I am in no position to answer questions you may have regarding the circumstances of both of them, it's simply none of my business," Wufei said rigidly, but hi eyes were apologetic.

Relena nodded noncommittally, looking down at her lap as her fingers fiddled nervously. "Of course, I understand."

Their trip was cut short, and Relena was in a daze when Wufei finally said gently, "We're here, Relena." She looked up and nodded, feeling light-headed when she stepped out the car. Everything felt distant, as if she was seeing everything from another person's body. It felt so surreal...

 _Heero is dying._

 ** _No, he's not! Stop thinking like that. He always pulls through. I know he will._**

 _Then why the emotions? Why the hurt? Why the anger? Why the agitation?_

She knew it all along.

She wasn't in his heart. The place in his heart already belonged to Lucrezia Noin.

* * *

 _May, AC 200_

 _Preventers Medical Centre of Brussels, Belgium_

"... All right, Lieutenant Noin. Here are the situations. I will have Commander Yuy staying here at least a couple of weeks more. There are a million possible things that could happen because of the head injury; the opening in the skull... brain trauma..."

"... So someone to be with him twenty-four-seven..."

"... He lives next to me... a co-housing..."

"... A living-in nurse... the best option. Have someone always near him, in case something happens..."

"He wouldn't take it well, Sally."

There was a nervous chuckle.

The voices went on conversing in a distant space, but he gradually regained his senses. His head was pounding in dull, yet constant painful aches, and it felt heavy. His right shoulder throbbed in burning pain; so did his leg. He opened his eyes slowly.

He realised he couldn't move his arms and legs.

The constant beeping sound behind him fluctuated as the machine picked up his distress. He was panicking; he was hyperventilating.

 _What...? I... can't..._

"Lu..." he croaked painfully, throat dry; and it was all he could muster with his depleting energy. He had simply no power...

"Oh my God!" A female voice he had gotten to know too well exclaimed; sounding relieved. "Heero—oh, God, Sally! He's come around!"

Soon two women came in his line of vision, and he felt a surge of relief when he saw a familiar face: Lucrezia Noin. The other one he recognised as Sally Po.

Sally Po never meant _good_. Having Sally Po as your physician always meant _not good._

His heartbeat fastened again and Sally hurried to his bedside, squeezing his good arm. "Whoa, Heero! Calm down. It's okay, you're okay. Don't panic. Can you hear me? Can you see me? Look at me. Move your eyes to me if you can understand me."

It took him a while to process what was being said to him, but Heero finally managed to avert his eyes to his left, meeting Sally's. Lucrezia stared at him, disconcerted at his slow reaction.

"Good. You're lucid, it's a good sign," Sally nodded. "I'm going to let you have some water."

Lucrezia quickly brought a small cup of water with a straw, looking at Sally doubtfully. Sally nodded and Lucrezia smiled, carefully placing the straw into Heero's mouth.

"Just a little first," Sally warned them. "Yes, slowly—good. Now, can you try to speak for me, Heero? Can you do that?"

Heero blinked and grimaced, his whole body took a little while to comply to command his brain was sending. It took a minute before he could gather the strength to respond, his voice disturbingly gravelly, "What... happened?"

"You've been in a coma for 3 weeks," Sally frowned, jotting down notes at the slow response. "What's the last thing you remember?" she asked, still scribbling on her clipboard, all the way watching him intently. Heero frowned, his effort to bring back the memories made his head pounded even more painful and his vision darkened.

"Okay, stop. Don't force it, you're slipping away," Sally tapped a finger repetitively on his chest, trying to get his attention. "Heero—listen to me, stop. You're fading away, you must not. You may fall into a coma again. Listen to my voice, focus on it. Don't sleep, listen to my voice. Try to stay awake. Listen to me! _Stay. Awake._ "

Heero struggled to gain control and took a long, deep breath as he listened to Sally's strong voice. Slowly, the light came back into his peripheral vision and he blinked, feeling drained and exhausted already.

"You hit your head pretty hard. Well, you didn't practically hit... the debris did," said Sally, voice low. "Your skull was cracked open and there was some brain damage, you probably won't be able to get up in the first few days. Your shoulder was torn with glass shards from the explosion, and your right leg was crushed, too—resulting in some muscles damage, which requires therapy and rehabilitation. How do you feel?"

 _Too much. Can't think that well..._ he only understood the last question. Heero closed his eyes and grunted, considering his answer. "... Like shit."

"I know, I'll give you something for the pain later," Sally smiled grimly. "Also... you got your back busted, too. You took most of the fall on your back. There is some spine trauma."

Something clicked in his mind and images of memories rushed into him in a painful loop. _The explosion... the President... Relena..._

He shuddered and looked at Sally, feeling helpless. He hated it when he was weak and helpless. "I... took the hit for President Sutton. Are he and Relena alright?"

"Unscathed, and pretty much walking on their feet," Lucrezia told him, shaking her head. "You're unbelievable. You saved his life, Heero. Sutton has been seeing you every day, do you know that? That old man, if only he followed protocols!" Lucrezia growled. "I hope after this he would not pull similar stunts in the future. Putting someone's life in danger for some foolish ideas of his!"

"Imagine that," Heero murmured slowly, intending to rub his eyes but he froze when the sensation came back in full force to him: he couldn't move his arms and legs. His breath caught in his throat at this, and he asked, voice shaking, "Why... why can't I move my arms and legs?"

"Don't panic," Sally grabbed his hand tightly, looking straight into his eyes. "Heero, it's okay, don't panic. It's just temporary from the spine trauma, you will be able to move them again. Heero, don't panic—damn it, you're going into shock. Noin? Noin?"

"What can I do?" Lucrezia pushed the red button on the bedside, calling for the nurse. She took Heero's hand into hers, her thumb stroking it tenderly. His skin was sweaty and pale, his pupils were dilated, and his breathing was irregular.

"Talk to him, try to assure him everything's okay," Sally quickly pulled an oxygen mask over Heero's face. "I need you to have his head turned to the side."

Lucrezia nodded, and carefully turned over Heero's head to face her. She looked straight into the unfocused deep blue eyes, thumb still stroking, "It's alright, you're okay. It's just temporary, you will be fine, trust me. Everything's gonna be okay. Don't worry, you're not alone, Heero. I'm here, I'm with you. It's okay, please trust me. It's okay, I'll be with you. Remember? You watch my back, I'll watch yours."

Sally nodded in approval at Lucrezia. The door blasted open and two nurses quickly moved in. "Good, over here. He's gone into shock. Get him IV fluids, his BP's dropping. Wagner, raise his left leg."

The two male nurses followed Sally's instructions.

"That's it, lads, gently... we're getting him back... good job, Heero, there it is, come on back... you're okay, everything's fine..."

Heero's breathing gradually returned to normal and he stared at Lucrezia, confused. Realisation dawned into him and he cast his look away, ashamed.

Lucrezia noticed this and she quietly admonished, "Heero, really, there's no need to feel ashamed. We're all very worried, you know. You did your job. The mission's over. You protected the president—and almost died in the process, seriously. Just..." she took a deep breath, and not being able to hold back her emotions anymore, she started sobbing and buried her face in his hand. "... don't do that again. You scared me. Promise me you wouldn't do that again, Heero. I was so scared..."

Heero's expression softened. "I'm sorry, Lucrezia. I promise."

Sally observed the two, noticing the use of each other's given name. She was amazed at this other side of Heero Yuy she had never seen before. The Prussian blue eyes glimmered with such strong emotions, conveying so much without words. He looked... normal, alive, _humane..._

Sally finally understood what Noin had seen that others hadn't been able to: under the mask of the heartless and callous perfect soldier, was an individual with a vast heart, feeling, and passionate.

"I shall leave you to rest," Sally announced, adjusting the IV and checked the monitors and took in the readings. "We shall discuss your recovery after you—"

"No," said Heero quietly, but jaw tight, "I need to know now. Please, elaborate."

"You're sure you're up to it?"

Heero only stared back mutely, resolute.

Sally knew that everything she said would fall on deaf ears. "Fine. But after this, I'm going to give you sleeping pills. Let's see." She rummaged through the papers on her clipboard. "First thing first, the paralysis in your arm and leg – it's only partial and temporary. The sensation should return in a few days. I'm keeping you another couple of weeks here, and then we can decide whether you are fit to be discharged or not. Even when you get home, I want someone to be present around you, 24/7."

"There will be no need for that. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Heero was bothered with how slow he was at forming words in his mind into speeches. _Bloody hell, what kind of brain injury I managed to land myself into?_

"No, you don't understand what I'm saying. You cannot be by yourself _alone_ during your recovery. Added with your arm and leg condition, you can't do any strenuous activity. You wouldn't be able to get back to work for a while. I will have someone always near you in case something happens."

"What is the prognosis?" asked Lucrezia attentively before Heero could protest.

"There is a high possibility of physical problems. You may get extremely tired easily and blurred vision. You could suddenly fall unconscious without any trigger, or warning, because of the head injury. You must get plenty of rest. I'm having someone is to be always with you—no buts!" Sally waved a finger warningly when Heero opened his mouth—"Especially if you're walking down the stairs or something of that nature. A living-in nurse would be the most effective and appropriate."

Despite the wave of dizziness that swept over him, Heero gave his infamous glare, adamant. "No."

"Told you he wouldn't take it well." Lucrezia raised an eyebrow. "Then consider this, Heero. If you don't go by these rules, it would hamper your progress for a quick recovery. Not to say with only one arm and one leg to work with, I tell you, it'd be a pain in the ass, trust me. Your mobility is already as limited as it is, you can't deny that you need help."

Heero fell in deep thought about this, and he knew it was a losing battle. Lucrezia understood his reluctance and dilemma. She knew Heero well enough that the young commander was a very private person. The idea of a stranger, even if it was a living-in-nurse, harnessing his home—his private space, was probably dismaying.

"How if we go like this," Sally suggested, "I can have someone you know to live with you for a while during your recovery. Got any name?"

"No, I... don't."

"I'm willing to, but during the day I need to go to work," said Lucrezia, weighing her options. She looked at Heero, worried. "I don't think General Une would be that generous to let me take a few weeks off... even if it is for this." She sighed uneasily. "Not with the aftermath of the bombing... do you think she will make an exception, Sally? Considering I'm Heero's proxy? Surely as his doctor, you could propose?"

"Lucrezia, no—"

"Oh, _shut up_ , Heero. I know you would do the same for me, so just shut up. Sally? How do you think?"

The two agents glared at each other, refusing to give in to another.

"I could, but I'm still having a living-in nurse for taking care of the medical assistance you would need," Sally concluded with finality in her voice. She shook her head at Heero's scowling face. _Goddamn stubborn..._ "Heero, _seriously_. Define logic. I have quite a concern—especially with your slow response and unstable consciousness before... I'm not taking any risk. Okay? I'll get you a male nurse, if that makes you more comfortable. But please, just don't argue."

Usually, he would not go down that easily, but Heero was too tired to put up a fight. When he was about to open his mouth for the last resort, his mind simply shut down and everything around him went black, and the surprised gasp from Sally and Lucrezia was the last thing he could hear before Heero drifted into the oblivion of painless sleep.

* * *

"... Lucky bastard! Even if with his super-human powers, severe brain injury like this—"

"Sshh, keep it down! Try not to wake him, Sally said he needed all the rest..."

"What the fuck actually happened anyway? And I want details, not some empty craps of bullshit!"

"For God's sake, Maxwell! Would you keep it down?! Yuy really needs his rest, and you shouting about won't get him any better!"

Heero groaned inwardly at the familiar voices hissing and half-shouting around him. _Aren't they annoying like usual..._ he decided it was time for him to take control.

"... Bugger, Maxwell... shut up, you plonker."

The room suddenly fell dead silent. Heero cracked open his eyes slowly, feeling drowsy. The restless faces of his comrades came into his sight, and his face twisted into an annoyed scowl. _So much for a rest..._

"Whoa, he actually cursed! He actually said 'plonker', _sweet!_ Oh, that's rich, comin' from ya! He really _did hit_ his head! Finally decided to come back to the land of the living, buddy?" Duo Maxwell's mocking voice echoed, and he winced at the loudness of it. But Heero knew better: the braided man was restless, it was one of his ways to cope when he was antsy.

"Heero?" Quatre's soft and gentle tone called, concerned. "I'm sorry if we wake you... we were only dropping in to check on you—"

"Yuy." Now Chang Wufei's steady and calm one butted in. "How do you feel?"

"... Still like shit." Heero grouched. He was relieved that he wasn't as slow as before. Wufei smiled thinly at his former partner's moody answer. "Just... can you try not to be loud? You gave me a headache, Duo."

"No shit, sorry, man," Duo scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I'll keep it down, buddy. Damn it, sorry, Heero."

"What are you doing here? Chang, shouldn't you be away for investigation...?"

His three comrades exchanged uneasy glances, making Heero _really_ worried now. "... What? What'd I miss?"

"Yuy, investigations are already under. All that's left is to confide you the temporary report, and getting your testimony. Sutton has been pushing us, but with you out of commission, we couldn't progress really far. The evac order was under your command, after all."

 _What? Oh shit..._ "How long...?"

"Two weeks." Quatre shifted on his feet uncomfortably. "You... Sally said that you fell into a coma again. It's been two weeks since you last woke up, Heero. You've been in and out of consciousness the last few days, they said it was a good sign because you reacted to the stimuli and it was also an indication that you were coming back. You've just been cleared from ICU three days ago."

 _ICU?_ Heero's stomach twisted and he felt nauseous. He'd been subjected to countless grave injuries before, even before and during the war and Preventers missions, but never to an extent of—like _this_. Something was terribly wrong.

"I think it'd be wise if Sally is present here and leave the decision to her should I confide in you or not," said Wufei slowly, uncertain. "Your recovery is the utmost important now, Yuy. Noin needs you."

Something flashed in the deep blue eyes when Noin's name came up, but it was gone in the next second Heero blinked.

"The bombing," said Heero quietly, ignoring Wufei's concern as he started to remember. "When the stewards came in from the mezzanine... "

"Yes, we suspected it was from the internal, we have run over the duty roster, re-checking the schedules." Wufei supplied carefully, not wanting to trigger too much. "Yuy, it was only to your quick thinking that we were able to minimise casualties to the bare minimum. By the time we realised that the stewards were intruders, it should've been too late. What gave it away?"

"Wufei, I don't think Heero should—" Quatre began, but Heero shook his head slowly.

"A feed camera," Heero growled; the deep blue eyes narrowed. "On the chandelier."

"A bugging device? But we have secured the area twice before the summit began, and neither the investigation team or your unit found remnants of such device, Yuy—"

"A timer, Chang."

"What do you mean, a feed camera timer...?" Wufei frowned, and his eyes widened in sudden realisation. "Oh shit. This is what's been missing... this proves my theory."

"What do you—" Heero began, but the door opened and Sally strode in, followed by Lucrezia. Both women were stunned, and Sally's expression turned as angry as she could be—glaring at the 3 visitors, furious.

Wufei and Quatre twitched and instinctively jerked back, grimacing. Duo held both arms up, bracing himself.

"Major Chang!" Sally roared, approaching the young Chinese agent. "Didn't I make myself clear that Agent Yuy is not in any condition for questioning, and that if he wakes up you—" she jabbed a finger to Duo and Quatre forcefully (and painfully)—"are to alert me immediately?!"

"Damn it, woman—" Wufei shot back, "I _wasn't_ questioning him! I just gave him a quick brief for an update, he's the damn commander—"

"Oh, you did, now, huh?! He's my patient, Chang, commander or not, and he's in serious medical condition! I'm not having ranks to interfere with my patients!"

"Sally, Wufei—" Quatre said weakly, but was quickly stopped by the fuming doctor. She approached her patient, glaring.

"Finally awake," Sally said in a chastising tone. She cast an exasperated look to the 3 young men in the room. "Now, I need you to clear off the room. I have some important things to discuss with the patient and family _only_."

"Family?" Duo repeated dumbly. "Er, no offence, but who the hell—?"

"Ah, that would be me," Lucrezia spoke up, looking amused. "I am Heero's proxy, Duo."

The three ex-pilots were dumbfounded, their mouth hanging open.

"Out, now!" Sally barked, pushing the 3 men to the door. The young men were still rendered speechless from the surprising revelation they didn't retaliate, but Duo still managed to let out a loud _'holy shit!'_ just as the door closed before them. Sally turned back to the bed; Lucrezia laughed heartily.

"Oh, I _love_ doing that," Lucrezia snorted. " _First_ Une, and then you, and then them. Who's next?"

Heero arched an eyebrow at this and sighed quietly, the very simple movement sent a searing pain across his shoulder. Sally didn't miss a beat.

 _That's not right._

"Don't start now," Sally sighed, not in the mood for little plays. "I really need to brief you two." Her expression turned uneasy as she flipped open the blue folder she had brought along. "Noin, please, take a seat."

Lucrezia went tense immediately as she sat on the edge of Heero's bed, exchanging nervous glances with the injured man.

"Let's see... first, try to move your arm and leg for me, please."

The movement was sluggish and heavy as Heero complied, and his breath came in short and strained with the effort—but he could move. Sally nodded at this and scribbled. "I take it you already know that your damaged muscles have atrophied from the extended period of your coma."

Heero nodded. He knew he could work them easily into its former mobility with the proper exercise.

"I haven't been able to confide you the details since you fell into a coma again," Sally started, eyes skimming over her papers. "Your brain seems to be healing well, your response is back to normal, but your consciousness is still failing. You'll still be in close observation. The physiotherapy and rehabilitation for your damaged muscles will be further discussed after the wounds heal. How do you assess your own judgement, Heero?"

"Immobile, but functional."

Sally flinched. "For God's sake, Yuy—!"

"He's already weighed the consequences and knew all the possibilities," Lucrezia offered. Heero felt his lips twitched into a smirk involuntarily and Sally blinked, releasing an unhappy sigh.

"... Noin, you stick too long around him. You sound like _him_."

"Why, thank you." Lucrezia smiled. "Sally, there's more."

"Yes." Sally took a deep breath, flipping the document to the next page. "Based on the CAT and MRI scans, there is... some permanent damage in the small portion of the brain. But you can recover partially from the injury. If neurons are damaged or lost, they can't grow back—but the synapses, or connections between neurons, can. Essentially, the brain creates new pathways between neurons. In addition, areas of the brain not originally associated with some functions can take over and allow patients to relearn how to do things.

"Patients surprise doctors all the time and exceed expectations of what they're able to do days, months and even years later. Knowing you, I have no doubt you will be one of them. However... Heero, I have your complete medical records, including from before the war. I don't like this, I'm sorry, but as I understand it that..." Sally fidgeted uncomfortably, "you had genetic alterations under Dr J?"

Heero's expression was blank, but Lucrezia could feel his body went rigid instantly. _The doctor had struck a nerve..._ "Yes."

"Do you vouch for the record in here that the process included of a large amount of drugs injections administered through the years of your training with Dr J, until roughly 6 years ago?"

"... Yes."

"Thus since AC 196, you no longer take them?"

Heero closed his eyes, feeling the anger crept up over his senses and bile coming up to his throat. He felt Lucrezia's hand squeezed gently and he suppressed the emotion to the back of his mind, he was upset at the remainder of his training with the mad doctor. But he understood that Sally needed the information for his medical treatment course and was only trying to help. He needed to go back to work quickly, there was so much at stake... Heero took a slow breath and opened his eyes again. "Correct."

"Thank you," said Sally softly. She closed the folder, and stepped closer to the bed. "I just needed the confirmation; I've had run some tests and together with the records, I have some results to work with. Your high tolerance of pain, your exceptional strength—they were from the drugs. The tampering, and because you've been off them, I'm afraid has fomented a chain damage reaction of your bodily system and cell degeneration. That's why the brain injury has severe effects than normal—your failing consciousness, notably. Heero?" Sally looked straight into his eyes. "The damage is irreversible. It's a slow process, takes years."

Something hot and painful twisted in his stomach. He stared back at Sally mutely, his expression betrayed nothing. He felt hollow, and his undamaged hand balled into a tight fist.

The deafening and heavy silence dragged on for a long time.

"I'm sorry, Lucrezia," was all finally Heero said, softly, as he closed his eyes, and his fist uncurled; slack against the sheet. He could hear Lucrezia's quiet gasp and her grip tightened under the cover. He didn't return the gesture.

 _There will be always one battle that we will lose. And that's why it's important to act on your emotions—only when the time comes. Remember that, Odin..._

* * *

 _AC 203_

When Quatre and Trowa arrived at Heero's hospital floor, everything was pretty much normal and they didn't see any commotion. Two guards with Preventers uniform were standing outside Heero's room, tall and intimidating. Quatre let loose a suffering sigh as he and Trowa approached the guards. _This won't be easy..._

"Quatre Winner and Trowa Barton. Is Agent Yuy available?"

One of the guards glanced briefly at the ID Quatre had produced. "I'm sorry, sir, but Agent Yuy is not to receive any visitors right now."

"But he's alright?" Trowa asked.

"He will be alright," the other guard who was a blond man replied tersely. "I am sure you are aware that Agent Yuy is in the recovery process and currently limited to visitors..."

"Major Chang has some information that Agent Yuy might be as well in danger. Did someone recently pay a visit to him? Tall, blond man, with a foreign accent." Trowa said smoothly. "Major Chang couldn't recall if he was an agent."

To Quatre's suspicion, the guards shifted uncomfortably and exchanged anxious glances at each other. _What is this?_

"No, sir," the blond guard replied rigidly, but his eyes were wandering nervously. "Everything is under control. Agent Yuy is perfectly safe."

"Well, we want to see him, just to make sure. You act very suspiciously, I can't help it. Please, let us in."

"Sir, please understand that it is under strict order from the HQ that Agent Yuy is not to receive any visitor. It was clear, sir. We're very sorry but we cannot grant your wishes."

"Oh, this is ridiculous," Quatre shook his head in frustration. "Listen, I know you're just doing your job, but we are Heero's close friends and it is very important to us to make sure ourselves that he's alright. Just for a few minutes, and we would be gone. Just to see him ourselves. Please?"

"I understand, Mr Winner, but as we were instructed, this is a direct and strict order from Major General Une herself. We apologise that we can't help you, sir."

"Hm... we could always ring the General ourselves and ask for her permission, then." Trowa mused calmly, already dialling on his phone. The guards stiffened, and Quatre let out a low squeak as the blond guard suddenly lurched forward to them; Trowa effortlessly grabbed Quatre backward as he swung a leg to the blond man. Quatre quickly snatched the gun from the other guard, and pointed his own firearm to the guard's forehead.

"State yourself," Trowa commanded flatly, cocking his own gun banefully to the (fake?) guards. "Quatre, go in and check on him."

 _"Astaghfirullah!"_ Quatre rasped, and he immediately broke through the door, bracing himself.

* * *

Quatre's heart thumped painfully against his ribs as he stormed inside the room. He expected to see someone maybe was meddling with Heero's medication or something, or maybe Heero was already—no, he couldn't think like that!—in some dangerous situation, but what Quatre saw made his jaw dropped slack. A man matched Duo's description was on Heero's bedside with his back facing the door, and Heero was conscious, prepped comfortably against the pillows, apparently was talking with the man. Heero stared at Quatre blankly, clearly surprised.

"Quatre?" Heero finally said. His voice was still a little bit hoarse, raspy; his face was a pale white of sheets, but he seemed as fine as his condition allowed to.

"Heero, God! Are you alright?" Quatre burst out, directing his gun to the tall man, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who is he? What did he do to you? Are you hurt? God, Heero, the guards—they aren't Preventers! They are under this man's order! What are you doing, letting him near you? Get away from the bed, sir, and I will do you no harm! Get away from my friend!" Quatre released the safety lock, and stepped closer.

"Quatre—" Heero began, but the man held his hands up and turned around slowly. Quatre felt his body went rigid instantly, and his grip on the gun tightened. _Yaa Allah, give me the strength!_

The man's face suggested that he was around his forties, at most. Wrinkles were evidence on his feature, his eye colour was a mix of brown and blue. His hair was blond, his shoulders were broad and firm. The high adrenaline left Quatre's system as soon as he saw the man: what Quatre found disturbing was how the man's appearance resembled Heero so _much_ ; it bothered him. _Now, what else is coming?_

"Let me do the talk, Junior," the man said—even his way of speaking was so much like Heero's!—calmly with a thick, funny foreign accent; his tone just above a whisper and quiet. "Keep your energy; we have _lots_ to discuss."

 _Junior? What is this?_ The tension immediately came back rushing to Quatre; he steadied his gun. _Why is he calling Heero 'Junior'?_

The man smiled and shrugged, slowly lowering his hands. "I'm unarmed—and yes, you are right, they're my men, but they pose no harm. I do not intend to inflict harm to any of you, especially Junior here," he gestured to Heero, "and I do apologise for it was my fault that I didn't take full precaution for your utmost comfort. Sorry, Junior, I didn't tell my men to give your friends an exception; they must've given your friend here trouble. Seems there's still one out there," he added as he walked to the door, opened it and called calmly, "Heine, Ivanovic, enough. Let the young man in. They're Junior's friends."

Moments later Trowa walked in the room, actually looking confused. Trowa joined Quatre's side, eyeing the man tentatively. The older man returned to his former position, this time facing Quatre and Trowa.

"My name is Odin Lowe," the man finally said, "and I am—"

"My father," Heero's weary voice suddenly broke in. "He is... my father."

There was a lengthy, tense silence fell over the room.

"He is your what?!" Quatre finally exclaimed, aghast. Trowa blinked and arched a brow, _Oh? This is so getting interesting._

 _"Ya rad, chto ty nakonets priznayesh', chto ya tvoy otets, zanyal u tebya dostatochno mnogo vremeni,"_ [5] Odin spoke quickly and chuckled, patting Heero's head lightly—in which Heero pulled back angrily. _"Ya rad, chto vy mozhete prostit' menya za to, chto ya sdelal."_ [6]

 _"Ne izdevaysya nado mnoy, ya znayu, ty prosto izdevayesh'sya nado mnoy_ [7], Odin," Heero replied swiftly, apparently was annoyed if judging from his expression. Odin shook his head at this, and only stared back at his son.

"Russian," Heero elaborated when he saw his friends' expression was utterly blank and hilarious. "It's my childhood language."

"So... so... he's really _your_ father? Your biological father?" Quatre managed to croak. "And not to say... you're _Russian?"_

Heero considered this for a moment. "Yes. I'm half Japanese and Russian descent." And then he turned his head to Odin with a judging look and added plainly, "And if you count the resemblance, then yes, I assume he is."

A roar of laughter erupted from Trowa. The Wing Zero ex-pilot rarely failed to surprise with his dry sense of humour.

"Yes, I could see," Trowa intoned. "Makes sense. Blue eyes, brown hair, but Asian build; everything clicked. No offence, you're a pretty good looking guy, exotic for most, even," Trowa added kindly, and Heero just sighed at this while Quatre choked and Odin snorted. "You babbled some nonsense in your coma that time, I didn't understand what were you saying. It was Russian, then. Though, we would appreciate if you give us something, to begin with."

"What coma? When?" Odin abruptly asked, his tone sharp and his eyes narrowed. Quatre frowned; he could sense a weigh of demented tension building up from the older man, and a bit of sharp pang of emotion that he could only describe as sudden worry. His theory was proved when Odin jerked sharply to his son, brows furrowing together. "Junior, what coma? What had happened?"

"... It was a long time ago. It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does. It may hamper with your—"

"Why would you care?" Heero suddenly snapped. "How does it matter to you _now_ , of all the time? As I said, it was a damn long time ago, it doesn't matter now."

"Junior, I'm worried—"

"Don't _bloody_ say bullshit to me. You made me what I'm turned into now. You left me thinking you died. I'm unfixable. The damage is done, Odin. Look what Dr J made me into." Heero's tone was eerily cold. "Look what _you_ made me into."

"Junior—"

"You don't play my father now. You and I are just merely strangers bond in business. We never met before, period."

Odin's expression was unreadable. Quatre shifted uncomfortably, and Trowa just watched in mild interest. This display of emotional outburst from Heero was very rare, and when it happened, it usually meant he was physically exhausted—something Quatre had learned during the past 2 years.

For a long time, no one spoke, until Odin sighed, and slumped on the chair beside the bed.

"I came here to pay for what damages I've done, though I know how much irreversible it is. The bullet was real. I was knocked out for a good few weeks. It was a long story. I tried to find you as soon as my condition allowed me to, but you vanished without a trace. I tried hard, Junior. I did try. I know I should have tried harder. Forgive me. Please, allow me to be what I should have been to you. Let me make it up to you. We're in this together. For the goods, this time."

"Are you seriously that foolish to honestly believe that I would trust you?" Heero asked, incredulously. Odin gave a dry laugh at this.

"I am old enough to foolishly believe I could still make amend for my sins. That's all, Odin. Or rather, I must say... Agent Heero Yuy?"

 _Odin._ Trowa didn't miss a beat. _Is that why the man calls him Junior? Is that Heero's real name?_

"... You're being honest." Heero stated after a while, looking thoughtful. "Why?"

"I don't know." Quatre could feel the surprising candour coming from the older man. "I just... I suppose after knowing your fight with the Gundam, I just... want to do something _good_. Something that actually matters and contributes. There were so many times I really considered to try to get in touch with you, but I was afraid. I was—"

Suddenly the door blasted open with a loud bang and Quatre shouted; almost jumping out of his skin, pivoting sharply on his heels, hands instinctively pointing his gun forward. His thundering heart slowed down a bit when he saw it was Duo and Wufei who was barging inside, out of breath and red-faced.

"Hands up!" Duo barked nastily, but stopped immediately when he saw Quatre was pointing a gun to his direction. "Quatre, what—oi, _what the fuck?!"_

"Duo," Heero's calm voice spoke; it was clear that he was _really_ getting annoyed. "It's fine. Put away your guns."

"Good Lord, Yuy, what is going on?" Wufei demanded harshly and a twitch made its way on his temple. Trowa just remained silent, clearly amused at the whole situation. "Who the hell are those men outside?"

"It seems that I've caused... quite a ruckus in here," said Odin meekly. Trowa couldn't hold back any longer at this and he released an erupt of loud laughter, knees buckled as he supported his whole weight on it.

"Barton!" Wufei snapped, almost on the brink of going ballistic if judging from the murderous look on his eyes. "Control yourself and explain what the hell is going on in here!"

"Young man," Odin said. "Please let me introduce myself. My name is Odin Lowe, and they are my guard over there you have knocked out, but please do trust me that I don't intend to pose any harm in here—to any of you. I'm merely visiting Agent Yuy, and I can explain. Please, there's nothing to worry."

Duo snorted at this, his gun aimed steadily at Odin. "Hah! As if we would believe it! Your actions speak the opposite, Mister!"

"He's on our side," said Heero suddenly, pulling himself up without so much effort, but the other ex-pilots didn't miss the slightest wince of pain crossing his feature. Quatre let out a weak protest at this but Heero ignored him. "He's got connections. We can believe him."

"Who the fuck is he anyway?!" Duo demanded.

Heero sighed and answered dejectedly, voice tired. "My father."

Duo and Wufei turned to Heero sharply. Wufei opened his mouth, but closed it again; not being able to think of something to say due to the shock. Duo's jaw dropped open, his eyes widened.

"He is your _what?!_ " Wufei and Duo finally exclaimed simultaneously, their expression was as aghast as Quatre before. Trowa burst out with mirth again at this and Wufei finally lost his patience as he smacked the taller young man—hard—on the shoulder, _"Barton!"_

Quatre tugged at Trowa's sleeve as he whispered, glancing at the bed, "Trowa, come on, Heero's already treading on a very thin line..."

Heero's face was eerily calm and his lips went thin. His body was visibly tensed, his eyes hardened. Quatre had seen his comrade raging with rage before and the disaster it produced afterwards, and he certainly didn't favour witnessing the act again. Trowa shrugged at this and he said lightly, "Maybe it would be better if we hear the explanation from the man himself, Wufei, for Quatre and I are as lost as both of you." Trowa walked to the vacant couch in the far corner of the room, and sat down as if nothing happened.

Heero looked thoughtful at this and turned to _his father._ "We can make this an easy or hard way. Your call."

Odin arched an eyebrow. "And what does it mean?"

"He meant that easy way is you the one who explains, and the hard way is him who explains," Trowa offered kindly.

"Can we trust him?" finally Duo said, turning to Quatre. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously to Odin. "You feel him, Quat?"

Quatre nodded decisively. "Yes. I say we let Mr Lowe here to talk. Do you need anything, Heero?"

"Lucrezia and Zechs must be informed of this," said Heero, thinking, and Quatre smiled at the tender tone when Heero mentioned Noin's name. "Wufei, I need your help to set-up."

Wufei said nothing and instantly proceeded to standard procedures without further questions. He reached for a bulky, black laptop resting on the table in front of the couch, settling it on the food table cart beside the bed. Wufei booted up the computer and typed something, and a loud beep echoed from the machine as the screen projected a video call window. Moments later, Zechs was on the camera.

"Merquise," Wufei greeted first, nodding stiffly. Heero also nodded curtly, and said, "We've got... information. Is Lucrezia with you?"

Zechs Merquise arched a brow. "Major Chang, and Commander Yuy. This is certainly an unexpected call. Noin will be joining shortly." He greeted back, and his ice-blue eyes hardened as he observed Heero's face, and his voice was stern when he spoke. "Heero, should you even be up and about? I've got the impression from Noin that you're—"

"It's not relevant," said Heero rigidly, "we have far more important matters to attend."

"Yuy, I'm not going suicidal to Noin on your behalf—"

 _"Later, Merquise,"_ Heero pressed, gritting his teeth.

Zechs didn't push further and his eyes directed to Odin Lowe, his expression slowly became harsh. "Then I reckon this has something to do with that man. Who is he? Why the bloody hell he looks _so much_ like you, Yuy? Explain."

An apparent twitch made its way again to Heero's temple. Trowa fought the urge to laugh again, biting his lower lip. _Be professional,_ Trowa chanted in his mind. He steeled his face to its usual expression, and calmed himself.

"He is Odin Lowe," Heero growled, running out of patience. "He is my informant, and to make things less complicated in the future, for your info, he is also my father."

Some of his frustration seeped away when Zechs' jaw did the same as the others', and Heero cackled maniacally in his mind.

* * *

 _Notes:_

[1] "Morning" in Bahasa Indonesia. The short form of "Selamat pagi"; "Good morning".

[2] Bahasa Indonesia. Translates as "Aren't you early this morning?"

[3] An exclamation expression in Bahasa Indonesia. Translates roughly as "My goodness."

[4] Some kind of exasperated exclamation in Bahasa Indonesia. Translates roughly as "Is he mad?"

[5] The intended meaning is "I'm glad you finally admit that I'm your father, took you long enough".

[6] The intended meaning is "I'm glad you're able to forgive me for what I did."

[7] The intended meaning is "Don't mock me, I know you're just making fun of me".


End file.
